Sunday, 30 November 2014

37688 Kingmoor TMD leads in from Portsmouth to complete the working of 1Z36.

37688 was completed at English Electric Vulcan Foundry in November 1963 as D6905 and allocated to Landore. Refurbished at Crewe and reallocated to Tinsley as 37688 in February 1987. Moved into reserve by EWS after Sandite duties in November 2003, and sold to DRS in September 2005, returning to traffic after repairs in August 2007.

37218 waits to move the stock into the TRSMD.

At 16:26 37688 brings the empty stock back into the station.

37218 is prepared for the return to Portsmouth, and later to Stafford.

Formation: 37218 + 5961 + 6024 + 5955 + 1212 + 3340 + 3386 + 80042 + 3344 + 3345 + 17105 + 37688
Operation was one hour late following non-availability of a platform at Swindon, as another train was timetabled to be in platform for that period, then a medical emergency caused further delay at Swindon on the revised return schedule.

Saturday, 29 November 2014

37218 leads into Shawford on the down slow with 1Z36 07:02 Stafford - Portsmouth Harbour - Eastleigh, running about one hour late, after a lot of time was lost at Swindon.

37218 was built as D6918 by English Electric, entering traffic in January 1964 at Landore. Stored by EWS in September 1998, and restored to traffic by DRS in early 2003. Latest DRS colours were applied in May this year.

17105 is a "Service Couchette". Originally completed as BFK 14105 to Lot 30790 at Derby in March 1969, this was taken out of traffic in July 1975 and converted with a generator, under Lot 30888 at Wolverton, becoming Staff Sleeper / Power Brake 2905 in the Royal Train from 1977. Withdrawn in November 2000, it became 17105 from July 2001,

Friday, 28 November 2014

70804 on a CE and Balfour Beatty Kirow Crane move, waiting at and starting from Romsey. The crane is Kirow 100 tonne KRC810UK DRK81602. This train was 20:13 Eastleigh to Westbury but was running 50 minutes early.

"The Route Study anticipates a requirement in Control Period 6 for a third freight path between Southampton Docks and the Midlands/North, operating via Laverstock Junction owing to capacity constraints on the more direct route via Winchester. In order to path this additional train alongside the existing trains in the Basingstoke area robustly, grade separation of Basingstoke Junction is required to eliminate conflicts between Southampton bound freight and passenger paths and those existing passenger services operating on the South West Main Line. Hence it is the additional freight path in CP6 that provides the driver of the need for the basic grade separation of the junction. Initial development work suggests that the capital cost of basic grade separation of Basingstoke Junction is in the range between £75 million and £175 million (Anticipated Final Cost, in 2014 prices). ..."As part of the Electric Spine concept it is intended to provide 25kV AC overhead line electrification between Basingstoke and the docks at Southampton at some point during CP6. This could enable a large proportion of intermodal freight traffic to and from the port to be electrically hauled (potentially playing a part in enabling longer, heavier trains to be operated, and therefore using capacity more efficiently), as well as being an incremental step towards the electric operation of cross-country passenger trains. Given the position of this national scheme in the Department for Transport’s High Level Output Statement (HLOS) for CP5, the Route Study has treated this option as baseline and has not undertaken further analysis on the case for such an intervention.It is recognised that as a standalone scheme, there are a number of potential disadvantages, including for example:• at present, freight operators have the option of a gauge-cleared diversionary route between Southampton and Basingstoke via Laverstock and Andover. This diversionary route would not be available for electrically-hauled freight, potentially requiring diesel-haulage to be specially arranged whenever the main route was unavailable• a significant cost is involved in converting the present-day DC electric passenger fleet to dual-voltage capability, it being assumed that it will not prove possible or practicable to keep in place the third-rail DC system as well as the AC system• whilst some minor passenger journey time improvements might be achievable between Basingstoke and Southampton, there is very little overall passenger benefit in the short to medium term• from an asset management and maintenance perspective, the scope of AC electrification may be insufficient to offer efficiencies of scale.For these reasons it is proposed to extend the scope of the Southampton to Basingstoke project to include consideration of electrification of the lines between Basingstoke and Salisbury (including the Laverstock loop), between Salisbury and Redbridge, and possibly between Romsey and Eastleigh.This would provide an electrified diversionary route for freight, and offer the potential for electric operation of Waterloo to Salisbury passenger services, and Salisbury to Southampton local passenger services.

Some MPV operations, 3S80 and 3S82. DR98922 +DR98972 on 3S80 had been from Eastleigh to Havant, Guildford and return then to Warminster, to then return to Eastleigh via Chandler's Ford. DR98924 + DR98974 on 3S82 went firstly to Winchester,then via Southampton to Warminster, then to Basingstoke, Yeovil, and back via Southampton to Eastleigh.The rain had slackened off.

66957 Stephenson Locomotive Society 1909 - 2009 with 6O26 10:50 Hinksey - Eastleigh. This train had passed Dean about 13:30 and was the last train from there for some time following flooding.

221139 arrives at Romsey against a red signal with 1M54 13:06 Bournemouth to Manchester. This was turned around at Romsey, and then rerouted via Southampton and the Portsmouth Direct to Reading, where it was terminated 93minutes late at 16:36. Passengers were already gathering for late trains.

47841 (Millbrook, 21st April 2012) - through Eastleigh Works in April - June 2013 when the marker light areas were converted to flush format. I also saw at Crewe in July, but it is understood that the locomotive was something of a black sheep with little recent work. 47841 was new in March 1964 to 86A Cardiff Canton.

57007 Freightliner Bond - is currently within Eastleigh Works for modifications - will it return to traffic in due course? Seen here at Maritime on 4th June 2000, with 47157 behind. As a Class 47 it was delivered as D1813 in February 1965 to the Nottingham Division of the LMR.